@Crimsonorblue22 Naw, it’s not the eggnog. Ever since that guy, a day or two ago, nuked me for my sacrilege I seem to have waxed into a very happy and merry tear, appropriate to this fine holiday season. But seriously, regarding Billy, it would appear that the coaching staff, for several weeks, might just be perpetuating the myth of Billy’s return mostly for the purpose of throwing a wrench into game planning of upcoming league opponents. Billy looks to be alike to former Kentucky ineligible recruit Enos Kanter, a player who spent a full season in Lexington as a practice player before moving on to the NBA. Would not surprise me one iota to learn, eventually, that KU saw the writing on the wall, then never even turned Billy’s case over to the NCAA. Just quietly kept him aboard to work against Doke and Big Mitch in daily practice sessions. Itinerant NBA scouts can watch him on the practice courts. Billy gets a full year of free room and board, sleeping on silk sheets.

@Crimsonorblue22 I don’t remember details of the Mitchel Robinson situation, but here’s the thing. Bill Self and staff got stuck with this Preston situation. He was already on scholarship with every intention of playing this season. Then the car incident and subsequent eligibility issue. And of course, like Billy proclaimed, You people really don’t know me! Nope. Who would have thunk it?
What we do know, and perhaps this is just a presumption, we are now heading into second semester play, league contests, and Billy is yet not eligible to take the court. Mystery guy. Suspicions abound. What’s the staff to do, tell him to take a hike? Then he loses value to the program. No one to challenge the development of Doke and Mitch and Svi…except a walk-on from the football field.
This kid locked up a scholarship, then unknowingly or carelessly abused the contract. To date, it appears that Bill Self and Co. have made the best of the situation. A big talented practice guy.
Why hasn’t Billy departed? Lots of possibilities. Maybe he will yet get cleared to play. Maybe some NBA organization with early draft rights has guaranteed him a first round selection regardless of his current eligibility. Who knows. All we do appear to know is that he is practicing but not playing. And the Self-speak occasionally rolls forth about the future of Billy’s status.

I hate to say it, but this is on Billy. I know it’s hard to blame a 18 or 19 year old, but he obviously showed some sort of lapse of judgment. As many have pointed out these kids are primed from the get go on how to stay eligible and he blew it somehow.

The bigger question I have is why is this the new trend at Kansas? Is it the same at other schools and I just don’t follow other teams as closely to find it? Preston, Diallo, Alexander, even Jackson and Bragg although able to play brought a lot of negative attention to th University. Brannen Greene, Nadiir Tharpe…Selby.

@Blown Well, we do seem to be accumulating a questionable array of eligibility cases, esp. among promising though reputationally borderline big men. But the scatterbrained incidents, such as Giddens, Greene, Tharpe, those fall into a different category., in my opinion. Pressure cooker explosions, I would call them. Guys who couldn’t handle the silver spoons distributed by a storied program constantly subject to news highlights. Those three kids were loose screws. Collins almost got swept up in such a minesweep, his elevator incident. And B Rush…O My! Brandon was probably a land mine waiting to explode.
A lot of this is just part of the game, dealing with high caliber extraordinarily talented but young and yet immature individuals. They are probably very different than you and I. Bill Self has to be a master magician, juggling such jugheads. And maybe that’s what Preston boils down to. Jughead.

As to other programs, I think many top level Division 1 programs go thru the same negative news, though some of it different from our recent array. And some of those programs don’t earn quite the level of news scrutiny as does the greatest program in D1. Roy and Izzo and Calipari have dealt with their share. Focus is always cast upon the annual winners.

One positive aspect of Preston’s late eligibility is that it will be challenging for other coaches to scheme against potential different line ups Self could deploy. They won’t have lot of scouting reports and tapes. This can also help in March.

There is nothing wrong in change, if it is in the right direction. To improve is to change, so to be perfect is to have changed often. Winston Churchill

The main thing I’ve been tired of is all of the “we’re getting close” stuff, now for how many weeks?

When I’ve talked about drama in the past, this is drama. This is the kind of distracting drama that impacts a team. It’s nothing but a negative. We know it can’t be a positive. Anything that doesn’t help, really hurts.

I don’t know the answer. But I agree that Self did not want, and would not want, someone to just practice and not play like this. But maybe, even if he has little impact this season, Preston may be here for next season if this is resolved.

But I get Self’s dilemma, and perhaps we just need to accept it – but it’s hard to accept. If Billy Preston becomes eligible and is a full contributor by the NCAA tourney, he could be the difference between winning a national championship, and not winning one.

So maybe like it or not, we all just need to take it. Because the possible reward might be worth it. I hate drama in a team environment.

When was the last time we had a drama free season? Every season is something new or something that just continues to derail a potential great season.

Self doesn’t have many flaws but it’s hard to defend his recent record with these OAD bigs.

I would suggest he start vetting these kids more for their “off the court” character then their on the court product. I know it must be incredibly frustrating to him, he’s given a good deal of praise to Preston’s talents when he signed, through the summer and into the fall and he’s got nothing to show for that talk.

Absolutely agree Self is leading on the drama with the comments. We’d be just as pissed at no comment, no update. But the Coach-Speak “we’re close” isn’t any better

The one big maybe even huge upside of having 3 top 30-40 players joining in this late is that the team will continue to improve until the end of the season and maybe even peak by tournament time. Most other teams have by now pretty much reached their potential and will improve only marginally while KU will continue to get better.

All the scouting teams have done of KU will go out the window, if Preston is able to play and DeSousa and Cunliffe develop as expected.

If you want loyalty get a dog; better yet, get two just in case one turns on you.

It’s in the NCAA’s hands now. So who knows. I still think Billy plays for KU, just a matter of when. I think sooner rather than later.

None of the 2018 commits (and obviously not Silvio) or 2019 targets have eligibility issues. Billy was always a question mark due to his record of bouncing around, especially his time at Prime Prep/API. Missing on Ayton caused a ton of ripples in 17. Billy is at USC if we land Ayton.

If the staff thought he wasn’t, and he didn’t think he was going to play, I don’t think he’d still be at KU. At that point, might as well pull a Mitchell Robinson and just go train full-time instead of going to class and all that.

I am with @FarmerJayhawk. Preston would be gone by now if the staff or Preston himself thought he would not be playing…unless he has made a deal with KU that he will stay one extra year, which given his actions to date does not seem likely.

If you want loyalty get a dog; better yet, get two just in case one turns on you.

Of course fans are frustrated that the Preston scholarship is not reaping visible rewards in game situations. But just imagine the practice squad which Bill has developed! That squad could be a top 25 rated talent. A red team of Preston, Dedric, Mitch, CJ, Cunliffe and Charlie Moore. WOW! What other topflight program gets to work daily against such competition? This is why and how Bill gets to rest our starters more than usual. Preston is a vital member of that unit. There is precedent for a first round NBA selectee never playing in a regular game for a school where he burned an NCAA scholarship. The league is following Billy, whether he plays or no. Those McD’s kids with his size represent POTENTIAL running out of the ying yang. Now Bill has fetched DeSousa, eventually to man the spot which had been reserved for Billy. I think we’ve got to ride with the scenario of the status quo. Recent FBI investigative pressure has exerted a big thumb on all university compliance offices. Billy’s problem could have been serious enough that KU has never even turned the matter over to the NCAA. Just a quiet quid pro quo between the program and the Prestons. Mom might have made that trip to Lawrence for a sit down and a handshake.

So since De Sousa re-classified - that opens yet another scholi for 2018 right? - -So what , does that mean we now still have 2 left for 2018 then since he re-classified? - - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

hmmmm, ok, so I was thinking we initially was giving out 4 for 2018, so let’s see before De Sousa re-classified we had one left for 2017 right? -So he took that which filled us for this yr.

We was losing Devonte - -Svi - for 2018 as Seniors - then going off the assumption Vick was gone - -& Billy probably gone right? - -that would give 4 for 18 - -and if Malik that would be 5, - -so we used Grimes - -Dotson - - & McCormack so that should leave us 2 right? - -cause with De Sousa re-classifying - he counts against 17 -not 18 right? - -where am I off? - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

It’s interesting, I’ve thought that KU decided to vet this situation itself in order to possibly speed the process. Last time we waited on the ncaa to do it’s job diallo had to get a lawyer to bring resolution. There’s no telling how long this situation would have took had KU reported the issue from the day it happened and let them dig. KU did the leg work instead. He’s still missed 12 going on 14-15 and soon more so really what has been the benefit of KU doing anything. If it ends up helping Preston play 10-15 games I guess we can be thankful for their work. I’m sure they have worked hard to bring resolution to this.

hmmmm, ok, so I was thinking we initially was giving out 4 for 2018, so let’s see before De Sousa re-classified we had one left for 2017 right? -So he took that which filled us for this yr.

We was losing Devonte - -Svi - for 2018 as Seniors - then going off the assumption Vick was gone - -& Billy probably gone right? - -that would give 4 for 18 - -and if Malik that would be 5, - -so we used Grimes - -Dotson - - & McCormack so that should leave us 2 right? - -cause with De Sousa re-classifying - he counts against 17 -not 18 right? - -where am I off? - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

We’re now full for 2017-18 since Silvio is a 2017 recruit. Assuming 4 leave (Devonte, Svi, Billy, Malik), and we have 3 signed, there’s one left for 18-19.

@drgnslayr I’d be stunned if Malik was back. He’s just ready for a paycheck, whether it’s in the D League or overseas. I’d love if he were back though. Takes some pressure of the freshmen to dominate the ball right away. Could easily start all 3 of Newman, Dotson, and Grimes. Assuming Vick leaves of course. I think it’s much, much more likely we have Vick than Newman.

Where is Malik going? He is a mile and a goat away from being a NBA player. And Self has made several comments over the past months inferring Malik will be back. Vick, on the other hand…

IF Malik doesn’t cut it and test NBA - -& I’m not saying he is ready by a long shot - - he is not - - BUT he won’t be back. I think it was a pretty given fact that he would sit his year and play a year, that’s why Coach even took him on the guarantee that he play a year. - -After this year? - -he is gone - whether it is over sea’s - -" G " league or whatever I just don’t think you will see him back - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

Scholarships don’t have a specific year attached to them. The school can carry only 13 players on scholarship at any one time, regardless of whether they are freshmen, seniors or red shirts. If the school uses only 10 one year, it cannot carry the unused ones to the next year. It was lucky that KU had one left this year so Silvio can use it and he will be using one of the 13 next season as well.

I think this is what you were asking?

If you want loyalty get a dog; better yet, get two just in case one turns on you.

Scholarships don’t have a specific year attached to them. The school can carry only 13 players on scholarship at any one time, regardless of whether they are freshmen, seniors or red shirts. If the school uses only 10 one year, it cannot carry the unused ones to the next year. It was lucky that KU had one left this year so Silvio can use it and he will be using one of the 13 next season as well.

I think this is what you were asking?

Thanks hell I just thought they carried over - -they could continue to carry for 3-4-5 years if they didn’t use them. Thanks for the info - - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

I’ve got an odd feeling that Billy Preston may just stay another year, if we can get him on the court. We all know he will not get good looks from the scouts. He hasn’t done enough. He will fade into mediocrity if he jumps after this season. He would be ‘smart’ to stay one more year regardless of what happens with this mess. If he does, we will be HIGHLY touted as the #1 team in the nation and a strong F4 contender. He will likely go to the workouts, like Svi, and then realize he needs work. But if he translates well, he may be taken at some level in the draft.

@Jayballer54 Love Malik to death. But as much as the sitting may have done for him, it has also hurt him too. Again, my guess is, he will ‘test the waters’ and realize his stock is no where near where it needs to be at this point in his career. But again, we all know what happens with these guys too.

@BShark yeah Dotson and Grimes will need time. After that though, with Dok, no reason to not reach the final four. Too much depth and talent across the board. If we could get by the non con with no losses though, I think a one or two loss season would be realistic.